Right to Work supporters, foes clash during hearing

JEFFERSON CITY – Lawmakers today tangled over whether so-called Right to Work legislation lowers wages during one of the first legislative hearing of the year.

The hearing came less than a week after the legislative session began and House Republican leadership declared Right to Work a priority. Considering such a central piece of legislation on the first full week of session is unusual.

During the hearing, opponents seized on comments from Sen. Ed Emery, R-Lamar, made last week during a pro-Right to Work rally.

“One of the things that will be advocated by unions is look at all these Right to Work states, average wages always goes down. Well, sure they go down. You have a whole lot more people working in those states. And they aren’t necessarily working for $25 an hour. They couldn’t get a job at $25 an hour but they can at $20 because they’re worth $20, or $17 or they’re worth $12,” Emery said at the rally. “So all of a sudden you have a whole lot more people working. But you won’t find in any of these states that those workers who were employed, unionized, that their wages have gone down.”

While states with Right to Work laws have generally seen greater job growth than non-Right to Work states, the law’s role in producing growth in those states is disputed.

Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Springfield, introduced the Right to Work bill —House Bill 1099 — that lawmakers considered today. While making his case for the legislation, which prohibits workers from being required to pay union fees as a condition of employment, he said the claim that wages will go down is false.

“It simply takes away the ability of the union to get these workers fired from their jobs if they choose not to pay the union fees,” Burlison said. “We must uphold your right to join a union, join a competing union, or not join one at all.”

Shannon Cooper, a former Republican representative during the last decade, opposed the bill during testimony. He is now a lobbyist for the Carpenters’ District Council of Greater St. Louis.

“This is about lowering people’s wages so where they can’t make a good living,” Cooper said.

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce has declared Right to Work one of its 2014 priorities. Jay Atkins, the Chamber’s general counsel, testified in favor of the bill, saying its members “overwhelmingly” support the legislation.

Atkins also said that historically the law has made states who have adopted it more economically competitive.

Under questioning, Atkins declined to say whether Right to Work lowers wages but said if the Chamber’s members thought it was going to damage them, they would not support it.

“(Emery) gets it. It seems like anybody supporting this issue over here has a hard time admitting that fact when asked a simple question: Will wages go down if this passes?” Rep. Michael Frame, D-Eureka, said during an exchange with Atkins.

Emery, for his part, did not appear pleased his comments were being used to argue against Right to Work. This afternoon he tweeted: “There is little more evil or despicable than deliberate distortion of another’s words/views.”